Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-05
THE GENERAL EFFECT.

IL u uEN Elk n Il fF II FL l.
Euraber Manufacturing Asitated over
the Wey-rbauser DeaI---The Pros
poets in View---WiH Rates be Dis
Iurbedg
Lumber manufacturers and owners OF
raft steamers on the Mississippi who are
not members of the Mississippi Logging
company or the Weyerhauser syndicate,
are, 1t rs apparent, agitated over the
prospects with monopoly In the cons
troll of the pineries tributary to the Mis-
sissippi river mills. The northeastern
Lunaberman states that if any movement
which should contemplate the absolute
control of the lumber business on the
Mississippi river would necessarily have
to embrace. sooner or later. the ST. Croix
river. Purchases of pine lands on the st.
Croix by the men constituting the Mis-
sissippi Logging company have recently
been numerous. The charter of the ST.
Croix Boom company, which is now con-
trolled by Martin Mower, expires in 1890,
when it is within the range of possibility
that some new order of things will be
brought into force. Mr. Mower is not
disposed 10 part with its holdings in the
boom company now, and Mr.. Weyer-
hauser is known TO entertain the opinion
that all he interests on the St Croix
should be consolidated, as they prac-
tically now are on the Chippewa.
Isaac Staples, who is one of the largest
pine land o~neIs on the stream. and who
recently purchased the Caleb Cushing
holdings at st. Croix Falls, entertains the
same opinion and is looking to the down
river lumbermen for assistance and Coz
operation in improving the power. A
revolution in the logging business on the
St Croix in the next two or three years
is not outside the probabilities.
Then, again. if the Eau Claire Lumber
company. bought out by the Mississippi
company, carries out the plan of piIing
all Of its lumber product, as it is re-
| ported will be the case under the new
management. and shipping it out by rail
instead of rafting, it will remove about
10000. 600 of lumber annually from d.
rect competition with the mill men on
| the Mississippi river who constitute the
Mississippi Logging company, the pur-
chasers of the controlling interest in the
company. 1t is not altogether imprOba-
BILE that the purchasers have had this
object in view in assuming control of the
property, although they are not of the
class who are likely to pay the railroads
much more for moving lumber out than
1t can be moved in some other way. But
there are multiplying indications that til e
lumber tariff now in force, and which is
averse to the interests of the northwest
ern markets and favora Bile to this vicinity,
will not be much longer maintained
Such d schetae will be serious blow 10
the rafting interests cu the upper Missis-
sippi
A leading railroad official says that II
is expected that by January the Chica
90, Milwaukee i st Paul will be ready tC
make them such satisfactory rates to Mis-
souri, river points that Eau Claire lumber
can easily compete in the Southwestern
markets. To which An official of The c..
B. & Q responds: Possibly, but long be
fore that time, the c. & A. will be maxim!
a 15>cent, and possibly 12,cent rate
from Chicago to Kansas City, and the st
Paul line will find no easy road to trave
in marketing northwest lumber rs agains
other points The southwestern road
are all feeling the pressure at present o
r the competition of southern pine in Kan
> sas brought in BY the Fort Scott It Gull
| dDI uhu ~ tithtt lhCt lthhLlIbu q
rates or go ont OF the traffic. Auothe
thing which has kept up rates until nov
i has been the fact that all of these line
have been enjoying Il good business
When traffic is rushing, there is dispo
sition on the part of the prosperous rOac
to overlook slight infractions of agret
ments on the part of weaker competition
arguing that it would be better to sufft
a slight loss than to pull down rates b
the wholesale in order to punish the Of
= fender This, to a large extent, h,
Il kept rates firm for the past three month
but the lean time is coming, and is n,
J. far off, and when it gets here there wi
NJ be no such patience exercised as at pre-
= ent On The contrary, every secret CT
a will be met with an open rate, and
won't take long to get Kansas City ar
IT Council Bluffs tariffs down to as low f.
' ures, if not lower. than now obtained
the northwest.